Kiss Me?
by E. M. Zeray
Summary: Emotions get confusing on Halloween when Katie thinks something's about to happen...and it doesn't. Unrequited Travis/Katie...for the moment.
1. Kiss Me?

**A/N: For a boy. Because this drama keeps getting worse and worse. And really, I'm happy you decided to choose her over me. I don't need, or want for that matter, a boy to decide my self-worth and decide when I get to be happy. But this is just to show you how I felt Friday night when you left me sitting in the dark, on that table, while you walked away with her. **

Katie picked at her Alice in Wonderland dress as she walked back to her cabin. It was Halloween time at Camp Half-Blood and she had decided to come to New York for the celebration, take a few weeks off school. She tossed her bag of treats on her bed and wandered back outside to the stadium. A fire was blazing, boys in masks, carrying rubber chainsaws went around scaring newbies who weren't going to whip out a sword and fight back. There were three couples scattered around the large stadium sitting close to each other. Katie sat close to the fire, staring as the flames licked at the air.

She looked up when footsteps approached, expecting to see another couple coming closer to the warmth of the fire. Instead, it was Travis Stoll, wearing a bloody mask and holding a bag of treats. He pushed the mask onto the top of his head and sat next to her.

"Want a Snickers?"

"No, thanks."

They watched the fire together for a second until he glanced at her again. "You okay, Gardner?"

She shrugged. "There's just...so much stuff. You're lucky you've never left camp. I hate living in the real world."

"Camp isn't like the real world?"

Katie was about to say no, but then she paused and thought about it. Maybe Camp Half-Blood was a lot like the real world she lived in each school year. Boys were stupid, girls were mean, it was all one big competition... She shrugged again.

"What are you supposed to be?"

"Hmm? Oh, Alice. From Alice in Wonderland?"

Travis nodded, taking a bite of a King sized candy bar that smelled of caramel. "So, what's going on the real world that's so bad you had to come here to get away?"

Katie hesitated a moment, wondering why Travis Stoll was being so nice to her. She looked at him, his hair falling in front of his eyes, his lips pursed with a smear of chocolate on the corner. And all of a sudden, those old feelings from last summer came rushing back and she found herself, once more, thinking about how handsome the annoying Stoll boy was.

"My ex started dating someone."

"Oh."

She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like I like him anymore, but… We had our first kiss on Halloween and right now he's probably kissing her. Even if I don't like him anymore, the whole 'moment' is ruined now. I hate this stupid holiday."

"I'm sorry."

Katie wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be. But it was nice that someone was willing to listen to her, so she didn't ruin the moment with trying to be strong when she obviously didn't feel like it. The truth, if she would ever admit it to herself, was that she didn't even care about her ex anymore. Travis had wiped every thought of that jerk from her mind. Huh. And she had been so sure her heart was locked tight… But he somehow managed to find his way in.

Travis and Katie sat there for a moment, just looking at each other. Katie's leg was pressed really close to his and he was leaning into her. Katie's gaze fell to his lips. She felt her cheeks heating as she looked down at her knees. When she looked back up, he hadn't moved. Was…was Travis Stoll about to kiss her?

She wasn't sure how he felt about that. All she knew was that her heart was beating double time and his gaze hadn't wavered from her eyes. Still, he was pretty close to her, and, a tiny part of her hoped for a moment that he would kiss her.

And then Abigail, daughter of Aphrodite, and one of Katie's friends, walked up and took the seat next to Travis.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

Katie's heart thumping stopped. Oh, how stupid she'd been. Everyone knew Travis liked Abigail. Everyone. Even Abigail.

"Oh, hey, Abigail," Travis said, smiling at her. "Want a Snickers?"

"Totally!" She accepted the candy and smiled at Katie. "Hey, Katie Baby. Wanna go to the Big House for cookies?"

"Um, not really."

"Travis, you wanna go?"

He glanced back at Katie, as if asking permission. She shrugged.

"Yeah, definitely."

They left together and just as they were about to leave Katie's line of sight, she saw Abigail grab Travis' hand in her own.

And he didn't pull away.

**A/N: Tell me if you think I should continue. I was thinking of putting in an Angst shot about her yelling at him or something. Lemme know.**

**Love,**

**E. M. Zeray**

**PS—I almost kind of feel like Taylor Swift. She writes songs about the boys, I write fan fics:)**


	2. Choose

Everywhere he turned, there was a gorgeous brunette.

First, when he looked up at breakfast, he spied Abigail Combs at the Aphrodite table, looking into a little mirror and adjusting her curls. She dabbed at her lips with her napkin and resumed eating her breakfast, not even noticing that Travis had looked up at her in the first place.

Then, when he left the dining hall and walked to the archery field, he saw Katie Gardner with her hair up, kneeling in the dirt and planting something purple. She was utterly focused. Until, of course, Connor walked up to her and squatted in the dirt, engaging her in a conversation for a moment. Travis was almost sick.

When he went back to his cabin to grab his sword, he saw Abigail laughing with the Athena boy—the one that wasn't all that attractive, but had the personality that everyone got along with. Something tore at Travis when he saw this and he ripped his eyes away, returning to his path.

At lunch he sat with Connor and they talked about how badly they needed a quest, even if it was just so that they could get into town to steal—sorry, buy—a new video game. Just as he was saying this, Katie waltzed by with her friend Parker, daughter of Apollo and the latest crush of Connor's, and he was momentarily distracted.

Abigail one second, Katie the next.

"I think I'm gonna go insane," he muttered to Connor at dinner.

His brother arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I can't pick."

"What are you talking about?"

"Abigail and Katie. One second I think I like Abigail, the next I think I like Katie. I can't pick."

Connor shrugged. "So like both."

"What? That's not fair."

"Why not? Do you know for a fact that either or both of them like you back?"

Travis hesitated a moment, thinking. "Well…no…"

"So what's the harm?" Travis opened his mouth to argue, but his brother put his hand up, stopping him. "Fine, if you're so insistent on this liking-one-chick thing—which really is a waste of time—here's what you do: kiss both of them and whichever one you enjoy more, that's the girl."

"But—"

"Travis," Connor said, sighing as he stared at the blonde Apollo girl about to exit the hall, "live a little. And stop moping. Hey, Parker!"

Travis ran a hand through his hair as his brother stood for a moment to talk to the object of his affections. He scanned the hall, looking over at the Demeter table. Katie was talking to her brother, Cole, and laughing at something he said. Suddenly, she looked over at him. He looked away quickly. When he looked up again, she was whispering with her sister.

"You're really not making this easy on me, Gardner," he muttered to himself. "Dammit, Travis, just choose one already…"

"Now you're talking to yourself?" Connor teased, sitting back down.

His older brother glared at him. "Fine, I'll do it."

Connor grinned proudly. "Well done, Travis. Which one you gonna kiss first?"

Abigail or Katie? Katie or Abigail?

They both had perfect hair, amazing eyes, and seemingly kissable lips… Why did it matter which one he chose first? But he knew it did. Which one did he want to kiss more? The girl he'd had a little crush on since she first came to camp, or the one who had, over the last year, sparked his interest more and more each day?

Abigail or Katie? Katie or Abigail?

"Abigail," he said.

Connor's expression flickered to one of surprise, but he quickly set it straight.

"Always go with the gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite. Even if you lose, you win, y'know?"

"No; no, I don't. Let's keep it that way."

**A/N: Please review!**

**Love,**

**E. M. Zeray**


	3. Breaking

**A/N: ML, you make breaking hearts look so easy. And you know the saddest part? One day, you'll wake up and realize what you could have had and what you chose instead, and you'll know you shouldn't have messed with my feelings.**

Katie watched Travis flirt carelessly with Abigail—who was channeling pink today; pink T-shirt, pink shoelaces, pink eyeliner and lip-gloss—from across the campfire. Parker and Connor were sitting a few feet away, whispering and feeding each other chocolate—it was puke-worthy, really—and so Katie was left on her own to watch the boy she had unresolved feelings for stare at another girl.

The fire was setting a dim glow on each person in the stadium. Katie twirled a piece of hair on her finger and stared at the ground. She felt like she had on Halloween, like something inside of her was breaking and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She tried to not look over at him, at them, and managed to do so for several minutes, but finally, her curiosity got the best of her and she saw her leaning her head on his shoulder.

Her heart gave two hard thumps before returning to its steady pace. Katie shook her head.

"I don't care," she told herself. "I don't care. I don't care. I don't care."

But then, when she looked back, his arm was around her. And she did care.

Katie stood and walked past Connor and Parker, down the stairs of the stadium and out, walking hurriedly across the grass. A few campers lingered under trees or on the beach, watching stars and waves. A tear blocked her vision and she blinked it away, breaking into a sprint.

She ran for the Strawberry Fields. In a row of dirt, she sat, legs crossed, staring at the blurred sight of little green tufts peaking out of the ground. Tears fell freely now and she wondered, momentarily, what she was crying for.

It's actually broken, she realized. My heart is broken. He's in love with somebody else.

She uncrossed her legs and fell into the dirt, staring at the stars. She lay there for a while, wondering when she was going to get over him and forget. It was probably going to take a while, considering the damage that had been done to an already wounded heart. But Katie wasn't the type of girl to dwell on matters involving that particular organ.

Closing her eyes, she felt the weariness seep through her bones. It was late. She should probably brush the dirt off her clothes and go to her cabin for bed. She should probably tell Parker about what she'd seen and how she felt. Most of all though, she knew she should forget what had happened on Halloween, forget what she had seen now, forget everything she'd ever felt for him, because it hardly mattered.

"Katie?" a voice called.

She cussed softly, the tears beginning to form again. Don't answer. Don't answer.

"Katie, is that you?"

She kept her eyes firmly closed and told her heart to stop beating so fast.

"Katie?" His voice was closer. She heard him bend and sink into the ground on one knee. "Katie, Parker couldn't find you. She was worried."

She made a noncommittal noise.

"You okay?"

No, you douche, I'm not. "Mm fine," she muttered.

He grabbed her hand—probably to pull her up—but she ripped it away, opening her eyes immediately, and scooting back to stand up. She could feel his eyes on her.

"I'm fine, Travis."

"No, you're not."

"Leave me alone," she whispered, attempting to pass him. He stopped her, holding onto her shoulders.

"What happened?"

You. You happened. You snuck right in and smashed my heart to pieces, without even realizing it. "Nothing. I'm just tired, I guess."

"You've been crying."

"Travis, please." She looked up at him wearily, too frustrated to argue with him. If he asked her again, she'd probably tell him. "Please, just…don't."

He paused a moment before nodding his understanding, which was probably false, but Katie semi-appreciated it anyway. He released her and just as she was about to pass him, she glanced at his lips, noticing something catching in the moonlight.

Barely a smudge of pink lip-gloss.

**A/N: After so much hurt, will Katie be able to let herself continue feeling what she does for Travis? It's complicated, isn't it?**

**Love,**

**E. M. Zeray**


	4. Right

Travis Stoll stopped watching the archery practice when Abigail walked by. Her long, curly hair was falling around her shoulders and she was wearing little jean shorts that showed off her perfect legs and a tank top that was form fitting in all the right places. She smiled at him and he smiled back, waving slightly.

Katie, in a feat of anger, pulled back her arrow and let it fly from the bow. It soared to the target and lodged itself in the outer ring. Sighing, she fletched another arrow and was about to release when Travis came up behind her.

"Your muscles are tense," he muttered.

"Your hair is stupid. Anything else you'd like to point out or can I go back to my practice now?"

"Whoa, Gardner, no need to get defensive. Let me help you."

"No, thanks. I'm fine on my own." As if to prove it, she let the arrow go and it landed on the outer ring again, this time to the left. She sighed, reaching into her quiver at her feet for another arrow.

Travis stood on her left side and placed his hand over hers. She swatted it away at first, but he chuckled in her ear and whispered, "Afraid of cooties, Katie?"

"No, just yours," she hissed back, but didn't stop him when he put his hand back in its position.

His body covered hers easily as he lifted her elbow slightly. He held his right hand over hers, adjusting her fingers. "Relax."

"I am relaxed."

"Pull back a little more." He moved his right hand to her elbow, placing it in the right position. "There. And…" His breath washed across her ear as he whispered, "let go."

Katie shivered, but released the tension in the bow, sending the arrow shooting across the field…and directly onto the bull's-eye. Her breath caught and she smiled joyously. But before she had a chance to thank him for helping her, his hands were traveling down her sides and landing on her hips. His breathing was ragged, she could tell, and, for a split second, it was Halloween again.

Her heart pounded painfully. Fighting the sinking feeling in her stomach, she pushed away from him, tossing her bow at him.

"You jerk!" she shouted. "I can't believe you!"

"W-what'd I do?"

"Ugh!"

Katie stormed past him, heading for her cabin. It was still early morning so most of her family would probably be planting and tending to their gardens before the heat of the day set in, meaning it would be empty so that she could cry her heart out in peace.

She hadn't been expecting him to follow her. He did though, and when he caught up with her inside her cabin, he whirled her around and stopped her, staring at her.

"What did I do?"

"You made me think you were going to kiss me, you jerk," she spat before she could stop herself. She pushed against his chest, trying to free herself, but he held on, grabbed both of her hands and twisting them around behind her back so she was forced against him and effectively immobilized. "Let me go."

"I thought you said you wanted a kiss."

"I never said that. I just said I thought you were going to…" She scowled. "You're scum, you know that?"

"And what if I was about to?"

"About to what?"

"Kiss you."

She laughed without humor. "Why would you? You're in love with Abigail. It's no wonder why. She's beautiful."

"Who said I was in love with Abigail?"

"Everyone knows."

He stayed silent, wondering whether or not to answer.

"Oh. Well. Awesome. Can I go now?"

"Why would you want me to kiss you? It's not like you like me, right, Gardner?"

Katie hesitated. It was a little hard to think with him being pressed so tightly against her and his lips so close to hers. If he moved three inches, they'd be kissing.

"Right, Stoll."

Something flashed in Travis' eyes. Maybe it was relief. Maybe disappointment.

"Good. See you around."

**A/N: I got absolutely amazing reviews:) thank you SO MUCH and keep them coming:)**

**Love with all of my heart,**

**E. M. Zeray**


	5. Game

**A/N: Because I'm getting over it. For both KM and ML, because you both broke my heart and I don't plan on letting either of you near it ever, ever again. Apparently you guys couldn't read the label, "Handle with care. She's been listening to Taylor Swift. She WILL tell the FF world what you did to her." Let's play a game, boys...**

It had become a game for them. Travis would tease her about the little secret she'd let slip, Katie would put up her armor and pretend not to care, saying that it was too bad she didn't like brunettes, or he might have a shot. He'd lose his cool for barely a second before shrugging and going back to whatever he'd been doing.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Some days he won and others she did. Sometimes they didn't get to fight at all, camp overwhelming them. But even when Katie had gotten in a particularly good jab one afternoon—one silly comment about his brother and the possible hotness difference between them—she managed to feel good about herself and maybe even think that she was getting over him, she'd see him with Abigail, walking around the field or around the cabins or to dinner, talking.

Her chest would start to tighten, her head would hurt, and she couldn't bear to look at him or her for the rest of the day.

Ignoring him worked almost as well as fighting back. He'd say, "Good morning," when they had training at the same time after breakfast, and she'd pretend to not have heard him. She'd be walking to lunch with Parker and Connor and when Travis waved hello from across the dining hall, she'd glance away. It normally got him riled up enough to demand an answer, at which point she would simply shrug and give a noncommittal answer like, "Oh, I didn't see you."

But still, no matter who was winning or losing, Katie hated the game.

She hated that, even if she had been aggressive during their arguments and had won hands down, it still felt like she lost because he would wander off with her and they wouldn't resurface until the campfire or Capture the Flag. No one knew what they'd been doing and they never told, and maybe that—the uncertainty—was the answer to why she was so…bothered by Abigail.

Why do I care? Katie snapped to herself often. Why do I care?

She was sitting with her feet hanging off the end of the pier over the ocean when she heard giggling from the beach. She turned and saw Aphrodite girls dragging two shirtless boys towards the water before pushing them in. They looked at each other and ran into the waves. Squealing, the girls joined them.

Among them, Katie noticed the dark braid of Abigail. And when she looked closer, she saw the two boys being pushed into the water were Connor and Travis. Her life couldn't get any worse?

She looked at her feet for a while before she heard splashing below her. Connor was hanging onto one of the posts sticking into the water from the pier. He grinned at her.

"Come on in, Gardner. The water's fine."

If he hadn't been dating her best friend, she would have taken the wonderful flirting opportunity to say, "And so are you,"—because Connor actually did look really good with his shirt off—but because he was, she simply smiled.

"No, thanks."

"Chicken?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not wearing my swim suit."

He shrugged. "Neither am I. Come on."

"Connor…"

"What are you wearing under that T-shirt?"

She looked down at her see-through white shirt with a bright purple camisole underneath. "A cami."

"And you're wearing shorts. I think you can handle getting them wet. Let's go."

Grinning now, as she had never been too uncomfortable with her body, Katie yanked off her T-shirt and jumped into the water below, laughing. She and Connor swam to join the rest of the group and, for a moment, there was nothing else in the world that mattered.

Until someone came up behind her and pulled her under the water.

When she came up sputtering, she was wrapped in strong, naked arms and Travis was staring down at her. They smiled at each other for a moment before Katie remembered something.

I'm supposed to be mad at you! her head screamed.

Play the game, Katie. Just play the game.

Funny thing, though, about a war. The best armies are defeated when the enemy is on the inside. They can handle any outwards attacks, but when someone that wants to hurt them gets inside, they're done for. Her heart was the enemy because even though her brain was telling her to pull away and be angry, her heart was ecstatic that he was holding her…and he was really, really hot…and he looked so, so kissable…

Before she even realized what was happening, their lips were an inch or two away and she whispered, "No."

Katie snapped out of her fog as her tongue acted of its own accord, uttering that little word, and Travis dropped his arms, his eyebrows furrowed. Most of the party hadn't realized what had been about to happen, but Connor was glancing over at them every once in a while.

"What?"

"I…I can't. I don't… I should go."

She turned to walk back to shore, but Travis held her wrist. "Katie… I'm sorry…"

She paused for a moment, looking at him. He looked…confused.

But Katie knew another thing about war. The weakest armies can still win sometimes when they have a good plan. And Travis' plan, whatever it was, seemed to be working. He was drawing her in, weakening her defenses, and she was losing.

Then, Katie remembered a little something about Travis.

Given a choice between the boring Demeter girl and the super hot Aphrodite girl, he'd always pick the same one. And Katie knew there was no point in fighting anymore because she wasn't going to win. Anything.

"Travis!"

Right on cue.

He turned to look at the voice that had called his name and saw Abigail beckoning him over. Katie smiled at him when he glanced back at her and extended her olive branch.

"See you around, Stoll."

He released her and Katie walked back to the sand knowing that maybe her heart was still going crazy for him, but her heart had also known what it felt like when relief came, when she finally got over the boy that had damaged her heart so badly, and knew that it wasn't far off.

**A/N: Please review!**

**BTW, who's heard any of the new T-Swift songs and/or read The Lost Hero? Freaking out over both of them! :D:D:D:D:D:D**

**Love,**

**E. M. Zeray**


	6. Confused

**A/N: You're gonna miss out if you wait.**

_He that is not jealous is not in love_. –St. Augustine. _Jealousy and love are sisters_. –A Russian Proverb. _Anger and jealousy can no more bear to lose sight of their objects than love_. –George Eliot.

Travis glanced from one end of the beach to the other.

Abigail on one end.

Katie on the other.

He had been so close to kissing her the other night… And she had said no. Did that mean she didn't like him? Or was she playing hard to get? Of course, the most important question, why did Katie's reaction mean so much to him?

His kiss with Abigail had been fantastic. He hadn't made much of it as of late—in fact, Abigail was heavily flirting with a son of Athena at the moment, hidden within the trees—and any feelings he may have had or still had for the daughter of Aphrodite were dwindling down into what could barely be described as affection in the most friendly of terms without romantic interest, but nevertheless, the kiss itself had been good.

And it confused him. The mixed feelings and the lack of sweaty palms when he saw her walking towards him all pointed to something that could be described as…confusing. Because then he'd see Katie walking to the fields with the blonde son of Apollo and anger would swell inside of him. He would watch her walk away to join her siblings and Travis knew in that instant what the look on his face meant. The poor guy had fallen for Katie Gardner.

And right now he was watching her as she sat with Parker. It was late and only a few people remained outside their cabins. Connor was sitting next to him, absentmindedly drinking his soda while babbling on about…something.

"Dude, are you even paying attention?"

"Not really," Travis muttered. "Hey, can you go steal Parker from Katie for a second?"

Connor chuckled. "My pleasure." He stood and strolled down the beach to reach Parker. Travis watched as he offered his hand and Parker sent Katie a questioning glance before taking it and leaving with him. Just as she left, though, and Travis made a move to stand, the Apollo boy was in front of Katie, asking if he could sit with her.

No. No. NO.

"Yeah, sure."

Travis felt his heart plummet into his stomach and stopped for a moment to wonder why. Why did his chest heave when another boy sat with her? Why did he feel sad and broken when she laughed at something he said and didn't move away when he sat closer to her? Why did he care?

More importantly though, why was the boy taking off his jacket and putting it around Katie's shoulders? And why was she blushing?

There was a giggle to his left and he turned to see Abigail and the son of Athena lip-locked. But for some reason, even though he knew he should have been jealous, he didn't feel anything. Why didn't he feel anything, dammit! He'd had a crush on Abigail since she came to camp, watched her go from boyfriend to boyfriend, watched her flirt with him and accepted the fact that she knew of his feelings and wasn't going to let him act on them. And then she'd let him kiss her. And it all changed.

"You don't have to walk me home, Tyler," Katie said softly and he helped her to her feet. "I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

"Well, maybe I just wanna spend more time with you."

She blushed lightly. "Tyler—"

"Am I being too subtle? If I am, I can make it clearer…"

"No, I'm getting the message loud and clear." She smiled. "I'll see you around, okay?"

He gave her a sad smile. "Did I just get rejected?"

"Little bit."

"Is there someone else, or am I just not your type?"

Katie laughed lightly and hugged him. "I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

"Should I come back next week and see if you've changed your mind?"

"Persistent, aren't you?"

"When I see something I want, I go for it." He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "IM me if you change your mind, Katie. I don't give up easily."

Travis watched as Tyler kissed the top of her hand and told her she could give him his jacket back in the morning before he left the sand. Katie looked at the horizon and shook her head, obviously playing with her thoughts. When her mental battle was over, she walked back to the circle of cabins.

And as he watched her go, Travis knew what he was feeling.

He was jealous of the blonde haired, blue eyed, tall son of Apollo. Because it looked like he had jumped on the opportunity Travis had missed.


	7. Gladly

**A/N: I hope you get a happy ending. **

Katie sighed, wishing that Parker hadn't made them dress up as Thing 1 and Thing 2, only because she knew the blue dye would take forever to get out of her hair. It was Halloween once more and instead of Katie spending the night thinking about the ex she had kissed that night two years before, she was actually happy. There were no cruel memories to mar the thoughts of chocolate and pranks at Camp Half-Blood.

She stepped up to the Apollo cabin and slammed on the door. "Hey, Tyler, give us candy or I'll sic my giant Venus flytraps on you."

The door opened and Tyler leaned against the frame, smiling. "You wouldn't dare."

Katie arched an eyebrow at him. "What are you supposed to be?"

He glanced down at his jeans and T-shirt and swung his arms out grandly. "Can't you tell? I'm a god."

Parker laughed and stuck out her bag of candy. "Candy now, big bro. Please."

He rolled his eyes and offered her the bowl, not even looking surprised when she took fistfuls of the sweets. Katie stuck her tongue out at Tyler and grabbed some of the sugar before winking and flying down the steps.

They were almost to the end of the end of the cabin circle when Parker pointed out Travis and Connor. Connor smacked his brother's chest when he caught sight of the girls. When Travis met Katie's eyes, she nodded at him. He returned the gesture and followed behind Connor as he ran to hug his girlfriend.

"Hey, Katie, um, I'll see you later, okay?" Parker said hurriedly as Connor pulled her close. "Unless you want me to stay…"

Connor looked up and sent her a pleading glance. She could practically hear him saying _Please let me kiss her, please, please, PLEASE let me kiss her!_

Katie smiled and waved them off. They practically sprinted towards the stadium, desperate for alone time. Travis took another step towards her.

"How's school going?" he asked casually.

She shrugged. "Pretty good. And camp?"

"Same old, same old." He looked over her shoulder. "They really missed each other, didn't they?"

"Yeah. It's a good thing I convinced Parker's mom to let her come to Halloween this year or they would have suffocated kissing each other on the first day of summer." She smiled. "So, how's Abigail?"

He met her eyes again and shrugged casually. "Madly in love with Fredrick—Annabeth's brother?"

"Oh. Sorry."

Travis smiled. "I'm not. They're good for each other. Surprisingly so." He glanced around. "Wanna take a walk?" Katie hesitated and so he placed his hands on her shoulders and steered her towards his cabin. "What's going on with Tyler these days?" he asked when they began to walk side by side.

"He's the new Apollo counselor."

"I know. I mean…is he seeing someone?" _Like you, for instance_.

"Not that I know of."

Travis nodded noncommittally. They talked casually as they walked and when they reached Travis' cabin, they paused.

"Wanna come inside?" he asked. When she hesitated, he grinned at her and offered his hand. "I don't bite, Katie."

"Yeah, okay."

He opened the door for her, still holding out his hand, and she brushed by him, close enough that he could smell her soap. She smelled like flowers. He wondered what she tasted like. He let the door slide closed behind him as he led her to his corner of the cabin. They sat cross legged on his bed and continued their conversation. Homework, parents, sword fighting, scars…

Much later, when the energy of the evening had died down and most of the camp had probably assembled in the stadium around the fire, Travis found his thoughts drifting to a year ago, when everything with Abigail had started, when he had thought for sure that the daughter of Aphrodite was the love of his life.

Never one for subtly, Travis reached for Katie's hand and threaded their fingers together. She glanced down at them and back at him.

"Travis?"

He didn't speak, instead leaning in close to her. He shifted so he was on his knees, their lips inches apart. "I'm going to kiss you now," he whispered. Before Katie had a chance to respond, he was doing just that.

Strawberries? No… Vanilla? Not quite… It was a sweet taste. Perfectly sweet and wonderful and her mouth and lips were utterly soft and she was kissing him back. Cautiously, yes, but she was kissing him back.

The hand that wasn't holding hers tangled in her colored hair and held her against him. Katie pulled her hand away from his and wrapped both arms around his neck, the kiss deepening.

When they pulled away for air, Travis made a move to lean in again. Katie put up a hand.

"Wait," she said softly. "W-what's happening?"

"We were making out."

"Why?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Because…I… Well, I like you."

"Why?"

"Katie…"

"I fell for you once, Travis. Don't make me again if you don't plan on catching me."

"What if I do plan on catching you? What if I'm falling too?" He brushed a piece of blue hair behind her ear. "Don't over-think it."

"But I have to. If I don't think then I'll let myself fall for you again and, just like last time, I'll get my heart broken. So…no. I don't think you plan on catching me, and I don't believe you're falling too. And I can't do this."

She scrambled up and all but ran out of the cabin. Travis stared at the door as it swung closed and then back at the spot where she had just been. She had left her candy.

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Clutching the candy bar in his hand, Travis raced towards the stadium. Katie had departed only five minutes earlier and he was sure she would have run off to find Parker. When he entered, he saw her looking for the blonde among the crowd of demigods.

He took the few steps needed and grabbed her wrist, spinning her around.

"Katie, listen to me."

"No. I told you—"

"Come here." He pulled her over to a seat by the fire and sat. She did the same, staring at him confusedly. "I wanna start over." Katie opened her mouth and Travis shook his head. "No, listen to me before you speak. I want it to be a year ago. I want us to be sitting here by the fire, just talking. Normally. Here." He held out the candy. "Want a Snickers?"

Katie would have laughed if she wasn't so shocked.

"And if this were a year ago, I want Abigail to have never walked up; I want to have never left with her. Katie, I just want you."

She opened her mouth and then closed it, searching for something to say. Travis put the candy bar in her hand.

"I was an idiot."

"Yeah," she whispered, finding her voice. "Yeah, you were."

"But I _am_ falling for you, Katie. And I promise, I'll catch you if you give me another chance."

A million possibilities popped into her head at once. _Later. Give me time to think. Yes. No. I don't know. How can I trust you? Why shouldn't I say yes? I love you. I hate you. You broke my heart. You can fix me. _

"Travis, I don't think I want a boyfriend."

His eyes lost a bit of their light.

"That being said, let's see how far you go to get me to change my mind. Because, against my better judgment, I don't think I ever stopped liking you." She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in. When they were centimeters away, she whispered, "Kiss me?"

"Gladly."

**A/N: Ta da! THE END! So a lot of you were begging for Tratie-fluffy-coated endings and I decided this was as far as I was going to go. Not an extreme happy ending, but they both get what they wanted: each other, if only for a moment. Anyway, THANK YOU ALL so much for reviewing and please do review this chapter. I'm toying with the idea of a serious happy ending epilogue like J. K. Rowling put at the end of DH. Like "19 year later", y'know? If you think an epilogue is a good idea, let me know.**

**Love always,**

**E. M. Zeray**


	8. Moments

Travis practically burst into his bedroom—correction: _their_ bedroom, seeing as Katie had moved in about two weeks ago—and fist pumped the air, shouting in triumph. Katie, who was lounging on the bed with her hair up, her reading glasses on, and her laptop perched—you guessed it—on her lap, looked up in surprise.

"Travis?"

He spun around, grinning, and crawled onto the bed, grabbing his girlfriend's hand. The laptop was shoved aside as he pulled her up and into his arms. He held her by the waist and lifted her, spinning.

"Whoa! Travis! What's happening?"

He laughed and set her down so he could kiss her. She pushed his shoulders back and smiled up at him, her face flushed.

"Are you okay?"

"Your dad just called while I was on my way here and gave me permission to do something, so no, I'm better than okay. I'm perfect. Come here." He sat her on the edge of his—their—bed and took two huge steps to his—their—dresser, digging through his sock drawer for the little velvet box.

"Travis, you're freaking me out, babe."

He grabbed at it and threw himself onto his knees in front of Katie, lips split in a grin, his face red, his eyes huge. He held up the box and opened it. "Katie, will you marry me?"

The silence that filled the room was followed by a tension so thick that it was even stronger than the gel that held Connor's hair up, even though he would never admit it. Travis fidgeted and his smile grew smaller. Katie's mouth was open and she was just staring at him.

"Um...Katie? You in there?" He brushed his knuckles against her forehead jokingly. "Anybody there?"

This seemed to shake her and she looked down at the ring, her mouth closing. "Uhh…"

"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"No, no!" She grabbed his wrist when he tried to move away. "I'm sorry—I'm just shocked. I… Yes! Yes, of course!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him while his heart started beating again and kissed him when she pulled back. "Give me that ring, you dolt."

He stared at the rock on her finger and then up at her face as her eyes lit up. He never wanted to forget this moment.

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She walked towards him, the white dress trailing behind her on the rose petals, her gaze attached to his. His heart hammered hard and it was like there was no one else in the world but the gorgeous brunette walking towards him, her arm linked with her father's. The older man handed Katie to Travis and he took her hand, lost in her amazing eyes.

He was dead to the world until she said, "I do."

And suddenly, he was reborn. He kissed her softly and then, when she smiled sweetly at him, he muttered, "Oh, screw it," and scooped her into his arms, kissing her hungrily like he'd wanted to since she uttered her vows. Granted, that had been only moments ago, but still, he was used to getting what he wanted.

"Hey!" They looked up when Connor called them to attention, his arms crossed. "Save it for the honeymoon. Honestly, let's party!"

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"You're never touching me again!" she shouted as the nurse insisted she just keep pushing. "I hate you so much, Travis Stoll." She screamed loudly and held on tighter to his hand. Travis was sure his hand was about to break.

But then, a silence filled the room. One second. Two. Three.

And the wail of a child overtook everything. Travis put his forehead on his wife's shoulder, trying not to cry. A nurse took the baby for a moment and Katie released her death grip on Travis' hand.

"The baby," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Shhh. Sleep, sweetheart."

"No, no…the baby…"

He understood and looked at the nurse, who was grinning. Moments later, she walked over…holding the child in a pink blanket.

"Katie, oh, Katie, it's a girl. It's a girl!"

And Katie smiled, squeezing Travis' hand before falling asleep.

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"Honestly, Travis, he's just a boy."

"A 14 year old boy! Hugging my daughter!"

Katie rolled her eyes and grabbed Travis' hand. "She's going to be in high school in a few months. Get used to the fact that boys not longer have cooties."

"As long as he doesn't kiss her, I'm fine with that."

Katie smiled and leaned into her husband, watching her daughter blush as she waved goodbye to the boy. Travis opened his mouth to say something to her, but noticed how the boy looked back at her retreating figure and sighed. This was not heading anywhere good.

About a year later, he was The Boyfriend. A year after that, he was the Ex-Boyfriend and his daughter was behind a closed bedroom door, sobbing her heart out into her pillows. And to think he had given the boy a chance. Well, the next time someone tried to work their way into his daughter's life without a full background search, he was getting shot.

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"Oh, Daddy, tell that story again!" Travis' daughter cooed from her husband's lap as the family sat together on Christmas Eve. "About how you and mom began dating?"

Katie smiled and took her husband's hand. Travis returned the knowing look and glanced back at his daughter. "Well…like most great stories, it began with an almost kiss…"

**A/N: THE END. So, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I'm thankful for each and every one of you that has taken the time to read my stories. Thank you all so much!**

**Love always,**

**E. M. Zeray**


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